Today (Thursday), Poland’s parliament rejected a legislative initiative demanding a near-total ban on abortion. In central cities, approximately 140,000 people came out to protest while dressed in black.

Currently, abortion laws are very strict in Poland, the country with the highest Catholic population in Europe. Today, abortions are banned except in cases of rape, incest or when the mother’s life is threatened. The new legislative initiative demanded to ban abortions even in the these cases as well as to sentence women who have the procedure or doctors who performed it to a 5 year sentence in jail.

Dressed in black Photo credit: Reuters/ Channel 2 News

The huge protests reached their climax this week not only in Poland but next to Polish embassies throughout Europe. The legislation received the reluctant support of Polish Prime Minister Beata Szydło along with the ruling Law and Justice party (PIS) leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski. However, following several heated discussions, the conservative leadership rejected the proposal. “PIS continues to back the protection of life," Kaczynski told parliament. "And it will continue to take action in this respect but it will be considered action."

More than 100,000 people came out to protest Photo credit: Reuters/ Channel 2 News